DIVING NEWS
British freediver Alice Hickson has broken Sara Campbell’s 12-year-old Constant Weight No Fins (CNF) national record by a metre, with a 57m dive in Cyprus.
In July Hickson’s coach and British Freediving Association secretary Beci Ryan told Divernet that she could see one of Campbell’s longstanding national records – also world records when set – being broken soon.
Hickson’s CNF dive took place on 13 October at the fifth Infinity Depth Games in Larnaca.
Also read: British freediver breaks 15-year national record
Using only arms and legs for propulsion, the freediver swam down a measured line to 57m, ascending with a tag collected from the bottom plate to have her dive validated by the AIDA International judges. The dive required a 2min 36sec breath-hold.
Hickson, 30, is a Bristol-based mental health practitioner, and when her freediving training allows teaches swimming to children with special needs.
She holds all the UK pool freediving records and has moved on to depth only this year. She was named the women’s UK Depth National Champion in July.
Hickson said she had focused on CNF in Cyprus because she hadn’t “had the chance to do this in the cold quarry back home, and it’s probably my favourite discipline”.
“The dive felt amazing and it was the icing on the cake to break the long-standing record,” she said. “The most important thing for me is to enjoy the dive, and I loved every second.”
